NORWALK -- The lacrosse programs at Brien McMahon will be under the direction of two new leaders starting this coming spring season.

Mary Peters was named the girls lacrosse coach while Jon Dana has been tabbed as the boys lacrosse coach at the school, McMahon AD Joe Madaffari announced recently.

Peters was an assistant with the girls program a year ago, in which Amanda Spatola stepped down after one season, and Dana was a longtime assistant under Roy Colsey, the last seven years at Ridgefield High, and takes the reins from Andy Stockfisch, who departed the program after a two-year run.

Peters already has familiarity with the players so that should make the transition somewhat easier, Madaffari said.

"Mary Peters has a lot of experience coaching and playing lacrosse," he said. "She's in for the long haul and we're excited to have her as coach. She communicates well and has her heart into the job and the girls realize that. She'll be a successful coach."

Prior to McMahon, Peters played as a defender at Gettysburg College for two years and she also played soccer for all four years at the school. She was a multiple-sport star in high school at Princeton Day School in Princeton, N.J., and currently she's a graduate school student at Fairfield University while student teaching.

"I'm really excited about it," she said of ascending to the top spot. "Amanda did a fantastic job with the girls and there's a lot of great talent here. I'm looking forward to being a part of the growth of the program."

Also looking forward to leading his own program is Dana, who was a big part of the success the Tigers have experienced over the last few years with a Class L state championship in 2011 and an FCIAC crown in 2009 along with a number of runner-up conference finishes in his tenure through 2015.

Madaffari said he's known Dana for several years now and admires his passion for the game.

"Jon is an individual who never gives up and that's something he brings to the table," he said. "He's a work horse with a lot of drive so it'll be a great match at McMahon. We're fortunate to have him."

Dana, who just bought a house in Norwalk and teaches second grade at Kendall Elementary School, said the job at McMahon offered him a chance to lead his own program, something he's always wanted, while being able to give back to his community.

"I'm pretty excited about the whole thing," said Dana, a Vermont native and 2008 Springfield College graduate. "I've been coaching in the area for a while so getting the head coaching job here is something I'm looking forward to."

For Peters, she has a great deal of talent to work with in 2016, including Bella Bean, Isabelle Grecco, Brooke Lowe and Leah Zilich to name just a few, so an improvement upon last season's 4-12 record could be in the cards as the Senators look to get back to the state playoffs for the first time since 2011.

"It's just a matter of coming together as a team and making the most of that talent," said Peters, who also coaches youth lacrosse at Chelsea Piers in Stamford. "There's only one place to go and that's up. Playing in a competitive league like the FCIAC is great because you hold the players to a high standards and have faith that they'll rise to the occasion."

If there's someone who knows how tough the FCIAC can be it's Dana, who wants his players to embrace the challenge of playing the likes of the traditional lacrosse powers in the league. But looking past all the big games he experienced with the Tigers, he's most proud of how his coaching had a lasting impact on his players.

"The best highlights were on Senior Night when the players would tell of their fondest memories and they mentioned playing for me. Seasons come and go and we'd always have a lot of fun but the lasting impression was the time spent between the players and the coaches."

Dana was appreciative to Colsey for teaching him a great deal about the game, referring to his mentor as "an older brother."

Now that Dana has his own program, he most want to impress upon his players is to play smart.

"My coaching philosophy is to play the game intelligently," he said. "If they don't have the skills to play intelligently, you have to focus on improving those skills. Raising the IQ of lacrosse ability in the players is my approach."

Dana inherits a team that went 9-10 in 2015 but advanced to the Class L state tournament quarterfinals as a No. 20 seed.